Lennox Lewis is overrated

As more divisions are added, in a few years, I could see Lennox Lewis being rated above Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis at #1.

He certainly has the boxing credentials to be rated #1.

* Unlike Ali and Louis, Lennox beat every man he faced as a pro.

* Unlike Ali and Louis, Lennox retired as the World Heavyweight Champion and never fought again.

* Lewis won the Olympic Heavyweight Gold medal by stopping a future Hall of Fame World Heavyweight Champion (Bowe). (Joe Louis didn't go to the Olympics. Ali's opponent at light heavyweight wasn't a future World Heavyweight Champion or a Hall of Famer.)

* In his last fight, Lennox stopped the man who would succeed him as World Heavyweight Champion, Hall of Famer Vitali Klitschko. (Ali and Louis didn't score TKO wins in their last fights. They didn't even win them.)

Lennox beat 16 men (Tyson, Vitali, Holyfield, Bruno, Weaver, Morrison, Mercer, Tucker, Rahman, McCall, Botha, Briggs, Akinwande, Tucker, McCrory, Ocasio) who were reigning, former or future heavyweight or cruiserweight champions.

Lewis made 14 successful defenses of the WBC Heavyweight title over three reigns.

He had about as close to a perfect career as one could have.

Ali and Louis were more 'historic' figures than Lewis. Lennox wasn't that. But if you could have Lennox's career, Joe's career or Muhammad's career, most would take Lennox's career in a heartbeat.

(In some respects, I wouldn't wish Ali and Joe's middle-age and later years on my worst enemy. When they were Lennox's age, Ali couldn't speak and Joe was broke and in a psych ward.)

Lennox Lewis won Olympic Gold, beat every fighter he ever faced as a pro, retired as the World Heavyweight Champion a multi-millionaire, with all his marbles in tact, and he never had to come back.

Lennox Lewis is underrated. He could arguably be #1.

 

You've stated facts but people in this thread are not actually debating or providing good arguments against your points. Typical emotional fanboyism for past fighters.

Lennoxes opponents : 36/37 Holyfield he outweighed by 20-30lbs, shot Morrison, fat on the decline Tua, close win against Mercer, shot Tucker (the one that fought Tyson was far better), C level Rahman and McCall (who Lennox didn't really beat second time round), class A Amerobum hypejob Grant...may as well mention the Mike Tyson win.. Lol what a pathetic joke. The list goes on.. How is it not obvious to you guys how cherrypicked and opportunistike this resume is? It's like context is completely ignored.

I enjoyed Lennox style though and I don't get the idea that he was boring to watch. Such a shame he didn't fight prime for prime top of the crop boxers

 

Solid post. I just want to add: Lennox Lewis was very short.

 

Morrison was shot ? Because just before then he beat a faded by still dangerous and quick Ruddock inside 6
Hasim Rahman - beat Corrie Sanders, the same Sanders that obliterated Wladimir Klitschko
Tua - brutally KO'd Moorer and Ranked Nicholson after the Lewis fight. Nicholson holds a win over Ruiz so It's not a bad win
Bruno - beat Mccall, Mccall beat a past it Holmes, the same past it Holmes that schooled Ray Mercer
Grant was undefeated and held a win a win over Golota. Golota got robbed against Chris Byrd, Ruiz, and was beating up Bowe before the dqs.
Past it Holyfield after the Lewis fight was well ahead on the cards before the stoppage against Rahman
Beat Ray Mercer in a close fight but still won.
Beat Vitali in the worst shape he's ever been in his career.

Am i missing anything else ?

 

And yet Lewis still managed to accomplish more in the ring after his retirement than Fury has since getting the belt. Explain that.

 

If the claim is that he is decidedly a top 3 HW ever then yes, in my opinion that would be overrating him. I used to think he was basically universally overrated but have come around a bit on him.

 

Yeah Lewis tends to get overrated within the context of him being the 3rd best heavyweight ever. However he had a great career.

Every Heavyweights career can be dissected to fit an agenda, no career is absolutely perfect.
Lewis peaked later in his career as his peers were already in decline. As late as 1995 he was not viewed as a top 3 fighter in the division. The announcers lamented his performance against Mercer as someone who can’t break through to the level of Holyfield, Tyson and Bowe. However Bowe fell apart, Tyson wasn’t the same post prison which nobody acknowledged right away and Holyfield the warrior was past prime but still dangerous. The fact Bowe ducked Lewis (as well as every big puncher in the division) and Peak Lewis beat Holyfield and dominated shot Tyson gives his career a nice shine but their are valid criticisms to his career.

 

It would have been nice to see Lewis fight Holyfield, Tyson, Bowe, etc. in their primes, but boxing is a business and it just didn't work out. He was ducked earlier in his career, but his style, skills, and resume aged nicely.

I actually didn't think much of him during his reign, but started appreciating him more after seeing the current champions. He is the last undisputed champion and his lineage goes back to Floyd Patterson (45 years!). He doesn't necessarily have the best record of all the ATG heavyweights, but his record is in the running and you have to give him the advantage in H2H in most ATG match ups.

 

Good post. He did everything that he could have done and came through adversity even in the Olympic fight when Bowe was getting the best of it. His last fight vs Vitali was my favorite performance because you got to see Lewis having to dig deep and go after Vitali. In every other fight he was measured and composed, even in the Mercer win or the Golota blowout, but in the Vitali one he was reckless and pushing the pace all the time even though he was tired and out of shape. A real champions heart and mentality shown there.

 

I have long stated that Lemmux is vastly, I mean vastly, overrated on these forums.

 

Flummox Claudius Lewis, quite a name.

 

Resume backs up his greatness though, unlike a certain someone

 

Lol

 

I get it. Youre trying to push the narrative that Usyk is somehow better than Lewis. This is Usyk week on EUROPEAN SIDE BOXING, but Lewis in his best days, even in 2003 would beat Usyk in any era.

 

The biggest obstacle between Lewis and the ATG title is his nationality.